Page 24 of Off Her Game

6

Noah swiped sweat from his forehead. Finally, level forty-one. He’d witnessed Tori’s skills at his game the other day, but he’d almost gotten his character killed twice already, which was humiliating. He glanced at her sitting beside him on the floor in front of the flat panel screen compressing her lips in concentration. Besides being out of practice, he didn’t like playing any character other than Rys.

Bullshit. She’s better. He should’ve pushed a littler harder to play Rys but feared if he had she would’ve left. So he chose a less familiar character with a sword.

Their characters faced off as a team against hostiles at the top of the waterfall. She focused her avatar on fighting while he moved his to the access point where they could go over the edge.

She drawled, “So, Evelle can seduce? How does that work?”

“As if I’m telling you how after you almost beat my high score on the last level.”

Tori’s character killed off the last hostile. She squinted in concentration and pushed her character into a hip swagger. Noah’s avatar dropped his jaw. He yanked at his controller, demanding his character move without effect.

“Whoa.” She scowled. “Did you program her?”

“Yeah. Cool, huh?”

“No, this isn’t cool. This is disgusting. Evelle was the first non-sensationalized female avatar who could be awesome because she was a regular person. Now she’s got this, which makes her like every other cliché female in games.” She shook her head.

“It’s a powerful tool.”

Tori didn’t look impressed.

Their characters jumped over the falls onto the rock shelf several feet below. Their characters now stood at the spot no player internationally had moved beyond.

“Now what?” She glanced away from the screen for the first time. “This is where I die every time. I’ve been through every cavern. I’ve pushed every rock, played in the water, and jumped off the falls. Everything’s booby-trapped. Ugh, here come those freaking robotic scorpions.”

Noah smiled. “It’s not about the caverns or the bots.”

“They’re distraction. I’ve tried going other ways or finding a secret button.”

“Ignore the doors. Use the rope,” he instructed.

“What rope?” she asked dully.

“The one we picked up on level twelve.”

“Oh, yeah. I remember a rope. And then what?”

Noah’s character killed off the three scorpions.

She grunted. “You made that look too easy.”

“It was easy.” His character looped the rope over a rock and then propelled downward in the middle of the waterfall’s cascading water.”

She made her character follow. They swung onto a rock shelf. “I didn’t know we could go down farther. Cool.” The screen flashedLevel Forty-Two. “Hot damn.”

Noah’s character moved in next to hers as the level opened. He swung a lethal pivot and decapitated Evelle. Her screen flashedGame Over.

“How dare you?” She threw her controller at him.

He dodged and grabbed her when she dove for him. She managed to get a solid punch into his stomach before he alligator rolled her beneath him. She bucked up against him and cursed, then her body relaxed. He pushed upward away from her.

“You’re a piss poor loser,” he grumbled.

“You’re a sexist double-crosser.”

“I didn’t promise anything about playing forty-two.” He couldn’t figure out if she was pissed or into him. As always, he waited.Give me a sign.